Where I Would Like to Work

Where I am interested in Working

The first place that I researched was employment through the UN jobs site.  The position is through Save the Children and it is part of the International Program Department of Education and Child Development. I would provide tech support and contribute to program development and focus on proposals and public donations.

This is the website http://unjobs.org/vacancies/1384818211569

I would need a Masters in Child Development and the ability to travel

The next position I found was through Association Childhood Education International. The position would be for me to identify grant opportunities, develop these grants for projects and work with the executive director

This is the site where I found the opportunity

http://www.idealist.org/view/job/ZXJGgf77skMD?utm_source=Indeed&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Indeed

http://www.acei.org/ This is their website

For me to qualify for this job I would need 3-5 years in grant writing and a Masters. I need to work on the grant writing  part.

I think that I would also like to work for ICF International. They are located in Pennsylvania which is fairly close to me. I would be an early childhood specialist supporting HeadStart Programs and support the school readiness goals. This also sounds like an opportunity that would fit. I would need a BA in Early Childhood and experience in the field

http://www.glassdoor.com/job-listing/job.htm?jl=835768857&paoIdKey=MA==

This is the link

Places I would like to work Organizations I wanna join

Three COP that appealed to me were

SPDfoundation.net

Asensorylife.com

www.campcivitan.org

Shepard Pratt Philanthropy

OT-Innovations.com

MDAEYC Southern MD Chapter

Pathways.org

I really like MDAEYC first of all because it is local, it is accredited. Frederick Maryland is part of their local Affiliates. Their website pertains to issues that are local to the state of Maryland

The Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation offers so much on their website. This is the main reason why they appeal to me. There are online courses, that I do plan to take in the near future, mentorship opportunities that I think are even more important than the online classes, conferences and then books. I think the mentorships are my favorite part is because you grow with the program once you mastered the material. According to the site the mentorships start out with reasoning and then develop into designing

Level 1 - Clinical Reasoning in Intervention (five days)
Level 2 - Hands-On Advanced Treatment (five days)
Level 3 - Psychophysiology Training in the Sensory Challenge Protocol (four days)
Level 4 - Family-Centered Care in Pediatric Therapy
Level 5 - Design and Implementation of Applied Research

retrieved from Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation (n.d) Education and Events, retrieved from http://spdfoundation.net/mentorships.ht

The Civitan Foundation is a non profit site that focuses on the developmentally disabled. One of my favorite parts of this site would be the Civitan Farms that they have in development. This is still in development but according to the site it is a working farm that does use alternative wind energy, nut orchards, animal therapy, greenhouse education. Right now it looks like they are just looking for people who are over 18 and have fingerprint clearance. I think it would be a pretty cool place to work though.

Pathways.org is a nonprofit organization that specializes in inclusion for children who have sensory difficulties. They have a pediatric center in Glenview, Il, offer free resources that are printed in over 15 languages. Pathways offers DVDS for sensory development. They also have a link for financial assistance which includes grants, fundraisers and how to apply for equipment. The Sensory is the most appealing part of this organization. I do like it is in both English and Spanish. I will use the motor handout in the future.

I did actually find a job that I would like to explore in this field.

Intensive In-Home Worker (Behaviorist) (Metro Richmond)
Counseling & Advocacy Associates, LLC - Richmond, VA

Intensive In-Home Worker (Behaviorist) (Richmond and surrounding counties) - Full Time Summary: In collaboration with our special needs division, the Intensive In-Home worker plans and implements interventions for children and their families, specifically focusing on children with Autism, ID and/ or Developmental Delays. Responsibilities: - Facilitate initial and ongoing functional behavior assessments, produce individualized service plans, monthly, weekly and session progress notes and discharge plan. - Provide children and family support through individualized interventions including ABA-based therapies (DTT, PRT), play and creative therapies, sensory integration, social skill training and communication interventions - Provide case management and service coordination, as well as serve as role model for child and family to learn socially effective behaviors and interventions and methods of positive behavioral support. - Provide emergency response and crisis intervention as needed. Qualifications: - In-home worker: Bachelor’s degrees in human services field (social work, psychology, sociology, education, and counseling) plus one year of clinical experiences in writing and implementing individualized behavior plans. Experience with Autism. Depending upon experience, training on techniques available upon hire. Master’s Degree a plus. - Supervisor: In addition to above, LMHP, LPC or License-eligible. Master Level or higher in Social Work, Psychology, Therapeutic Recreation or related human services field.

(Indeed November 20, 2013)
I also wanted to share with you jobs that I have applied to
Academic Advisor
 

Minimum Required Qualifications:

Education: Bachelor's Degree [required].

Experience: minimum of two years of experience in providing academic advising at a post-secondary institution [required].

The individual in this job must possess these skills and abilities or be able to explain and demonstrate that he/she can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of skills and abilities.

1. Ability to interpret academic degree requirements, academic policies and procedures to facilitate student academic progress.
2. Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the community college transfer process.
3. Ability to work with students from a variety of ethnic, social, cultural, and economic backgrounds.
4. Ability to demonstrate awareness of issues that impact student learning and make effective referrals to campus support services and resources.
5. Ability to demonstrate effective communication skills.
6. Ability to demonstrate basic computer literacy.
7. Ability to use varying styles, approaches, skills and techniques that reflect an understanding and acceptance of the role of culture in a diverse, multi-cultural workplace.  

Preferred Qualifications:

Master's degree in Counseling, Student Personnel Services, Education, or related field preferred.

Academic advising experience in a community college setting preferred.

Other preferences: Demonstrated organizational skills; strong interpersonal skills. Working knowledge of computer software programs including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and the internet. Previous experience in providing transfer or career related advising preferred.  

Work Schedule:

Normal business hours M-F 8:30-4:30, with one evening 11-7 during peak season.  

Education-part time faculty

1. Education: Varies according to education needed to teach course core learning outcomes.

2. Successful experience: Varies according to experience needed to teach course core learning outcomes.  

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Other preferences: Varies according to course assigned.   

Kids on Campus-part time faculty

 

1. Education: Varies according to education needed to teach course core learning outcomes.

2. Successful experience: Varies according to experience needed to teach course core learning outcomes.  

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Other preferences: Varies according to course assigned.

(Frederick Community College, 2013)

This is a few hours away but in the future I would really like to explore this
 Reference
Indeed (November 20, 2013) retrieved from http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Counseling-&-Advocacy-Associates,-LLC/jobs/Intensive-Home-Worker-10feec223a6563f1
Frederick Community College (2013) Human Resources, retrieved from  https://jobs.frederick.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/position/ManageJobs_css.jsp
 

Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation (2013) retrieved from http://www.spdfoundation.net/

Mdaeyc (2013) retrieved from http://www.mdaeyc.org/links.htm

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Organizations I would like to join and a job I would like to apply to

First I would like to say that I joined http://marylandlearninglinks.org to broaden my COP. I would really like to expand my role in the community as an educator and a advocate for children. While on the site I found this site and spent a ton of time just going through blogs of other teachers, trainers, mentors. Under the Family and Community section it had a piece on the Special Education State Advisory Committee. “ The SESAC members represent family members of children with disabilities, advocates, teachers, administrators and other agency representatives. Members of the SESAC meets four times a year to advise and assist the Division of Special Education/ Early intervention services in planning and improving the delivery of special education and related services.”(SESAC)

The Maryland Credentialing Branch. “ The Maryland Child Care Credential Program is a voluntary program that recognizes child care providers who go beyond the requirements of State licensing and registration regulations.” ( Maryland State Department of Education,nd) I have belonged to this group for several years and enjoy the benefits every so often for going above and beyond.

I also happened to stumble across mdaeyc. I was impressed with this organization because of the newsletter that they provided to give early childhood educators updates on the government shutdown and how this effects early childhood. This is the site in case anyone is interested http://www.mdaeyc.org/. I actually wrote to them because of this class and asked if there was a local chapter in my area and how I could be part of this.

The job market is tough for me. I live in a small town and the big cities are each an hour a way. I was looking at being a Library Associate in the childrens section though. These are the requirements “Bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university

• Minimum 1 year of work experience and/or classroom training in working with children aged birth to grade 5
• Minimum 1 year of customer service work experience
• Ability to obtain & maintain  Library Associate certification from the Maryland State Department of Education, plus willingness and ability to attend training sessions as applicable
• Working knowledge of children’s literature, early childhood literacy, and reading interests
• Working knowledge of research techniques and available research materials as well as general reader's interest, authors, books and other formats of library materials
• Knowledge of public library practices and procedures
• Strong and effective spoken and written (English) communication skills, including public speaking skills
• Ability to effectively access and utilize FCPL's computerized systems and the Internet, and ability to effectively provide related instruction for customers and staff
• Ability to effectively organize work, determine priorities, make decisions and complete assigned duties with minimal supervision
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with customers, co-workers and the general public, with particular skill in working with children aged birth to grade 5
• Physical requirements include the ability to lift and carry FCPL materials weighing up to approximately 40 pounds” (FrederickCountyGovermentMaryland, n.d) I don't have enough confidence to go for some of these things though.
  

References

Maryland Learning Links (ND) SESAC retrieved from http://marylandlearninglinks.org

Maryland State Department of Education (nd) Credentialing Branch received from http://www.marylandpublicschools.org

Frederick County government Jobs (nd) retrieved from http://frederickcountymd.gov

Educational: Reflecting on Learning

Educational: Reflecting on Learning: Reflecting on Learning In the near future, I would hope and love to work in a center that is free of bias and where fellow colleagues...

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/7218434/Untitled

I was trying to find the perfect way to thank everyone that has taken the time out of their busy lives to answer a question, give me inspiration or sometimes just be a friend. To some this is just another class but to me it was another way to meet amazing people on my journey. Thank you for everything.

This week you read about the five stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Consider the adjourning phase for several of the groups in which you have been involved. Think about which aspects of the groups made for the hardest good-bye. Are high-performing groups hardest to leave? This is one of the hardest groups to leave. I think that when you leave a group that you think is not high performing, only to end up in a situation where you are disappointed by the dynamics of the team. I think a great example of this is I left a center that was pretty financially depleted and ended up somewhere I thought was going to lead me to a better future because they seemed to be more organized and in a better area. What I didn't realize was that the financial aspects of the center had nothing to do with how the establishment was run. At the time I was treated pretty bad because I didn't have a degree and I ended up getting severance pay because I was so miserable. When you are with a team of people that are all looking to achieve the same goal, it is really hard to start over.

Groups with the clearest established norms? This is also a group that is pretty tough to leave because when you leave to go to another center ( I am just using this as an example) you have already established normalcy and a set way of achieving a goal. I imagine that it is going to be really tough to leave my colleagues when I finish my masters degree because this is normalcy to me. I have been collaborating on projects and researching papers for the past two years. When this is over it is going to be really tough for me to get back into another routine. I think adjourning is essential because it brings closure. I am getting sad now just thinking about it.

A recent conflict that I had at work is I drive a bus in the morning and I pulled in the front of the school to let the little girl walk into the building. When I opened the door I saw a teacher that worked for the school standing across the street shaking her head at me. Before this class I would get pretty heated, park the bus and maybe have some kind of conflict. Times have changed for me. I calmly asked the woman why she was shaking her head and she thought it was a bad idea where I parked to let the little girl out and I should pull up to an underpass ( that you could not fit a bus through) and then cut in front of cars on the way out. Soooo, I calmly asked, “Is this what you want me to do?” and she shrugged her shoulders. So I told her that I need directions from her or someone who has answers before coming to any kind of conclusion to this problem. Later in the day, there was a call from the school to my work that they worked out the situation and gave me an answer. The first thing I did was avoided internal violence, I was very calm when I was speaking to this woman and the second thing I learned was I did not take it personally that she shook her head at me, I simply wanted an answer. Does anyone have any advice they could give me on this situation?

Being judged by my Peers

This week was really interesting. Our assignment was to first observe ourselves as communicators and then have family/coworker do the same. When I evaluated myself I tried to be as honest as possible and I think perhaps I was being a little too critical. People did not see me as abrasive but someone who did not warm up to big crowds. I decided instead of giving it to just two people I gave it to as many coworkers as possible. Not everyone turned it in but I think that in every job situation (if someone is brave enough) they should be evaluated by their peers. These are some of the things that surprised me that there was disagreement on whether I was open with people and the use of my time during the day. I was shocked by this because I didn't think that people would be able to pick up on this. This just goes to show you that, they are swifter then I give them credit for. I was also shocked that people noticed that I do get impatient when things do not move as quickly as I want them to. I am not sure if this is a positive or a negative attribute.
Insights that I learned about communication is that I need to slow down and not be presumptuous when listening to all sides of the story. I have learned this week that I do not take enough into account the person's background, culture or the way they communicate. This is something that I need to work on in the near future. I also learned that I need to be more comfortable when expressing my opinions. My uneasiness does come off as aggressiveness and this again is something that needs to needs to be changed. I really did enjoy this assignment.

How to Communicate

Three strategies that I could use to communicate more effectively are first know that there are perceptual barriers. “ Successful intercultural communication requires mindfulness, being respectful of others, and maintaining an accurate perception of the situation.” (O'Hair, D. & Wiemann, M. 2012) When I take this information that is in the text and apply it to communicating in an everyday situation there will be times that I do not agree and I will have to hold my tongue, respecting the culture of another person.

“ Stereotyping is the act of fitting individuals into an existing schema without adjusting the schema appropriately; it involves organizing information about groups of people into catergories so that you can generalize about their attitudes, behavior, skills, morals, and habits.” (O'Hair, D. & Wiemann, M. 2012) I think that when we communicate with people we first must realize that everyone stereotypes, this is a natural instinct. As it says in the text some stereotypes are positive as well as negative. Our jobs as Educators is to look at families and coworkers as individuals and try to look beyond this. Because this will lead eventually to prejudice. When we are thinking about or examining preconceived situations in our everyday life that have already happened or assume are going to cause a situation, it is really easy to make snap judgments. In order to become an effective communicator we must come to the conclustion of a problem without gathering the information first to solve it or at least listen to all sides of the story.

I The biggest problem I have personally with communicating is that if someone I am trying to speak to doesn't speak the language, I will talk slower and pick up the accent. If I make the assumption if someone doesn't have enough intelligence to follow simple directions (this would be anyone) it is really hard for me to hear their side of the story when something goes wrong. These are things I need to work on myself.

References

O'Hair, D. & Wiemann, M. (2012) Real Communication; An Introduction Bedford/St. Martins; Boston*NewYork

• What do you think the characters' relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating? The episode that I chose was “Puddy is A Christian”. When they are sitting around the table at the diner, George is reading the menu not really interested in what Elaine is saying while Jerry is talking to her by making eye contact. Now we fast forward while they are in the house and both George, Jerry are now looking intently at the Jesus Fish Elaine took off Puddy's car. George goes to watch tv, again not making eye contact with her but instead watching television this time. Puddy is now in the house with Elaine looking down and walking away but still speaking to her. Jerry is making eye contact again in the last scene and George is reading the newspaper at the diner not making eye contact.
  Based on the way the characters are communicating with the sound off I would say
  that George really doesn't have much interest in what Elaine is trying to say while Jerry throughout the episode is making contact. Elaine seems to sit by Jerry and across from George when talking. This tells me that they have an established relationship.
• What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing?
  Jerry is inquiring whatever Elaine is speaking about. Elaine is expressing fustration over a dilemma and it seems George does not care.

Now, watch the show with the sound turned on.

• What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed?
  I assumed George was not listening but with the sound on he was irritated that more people did not appreciate Christian rock. I assumed he wasn't listening. In the kitchen George asked if she changed the radio station and didn't care Elaine stole Puddy's Jesus Fish. Puddy told Elaine very calmly she was going to Hell when I assumed he was passively again not paying attention to what she she said.
• Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well?
  I believe that they would because the body movements of the characters did not always match the dramatic things that they were saying. Which does make it funny when you are watching it with the sound on.

Waiting My Turn

The person that I think has competent communication skills is someone that I know that has a radio show. The reason that this person has incredible communication skills is that even if the radio host disagrees with what the person says, they always give the person the chance the speak. The incredible thing about this is, even if the person's point is not valid the audience is allowed to dictate this and it is not the host that narrates the storyline. I believe that when we communicate with another person we need to listen more instead of trying to defend our point. I had an English professor tell me once years ago, that everything that goes into my head does not need to be released from my mouth. I would like to monitor some of my communication skills after someone who's job is to listen as well as speak. I also believe we are sometimes quick to defend what we have to say instead of being open enough to see a different point of view.

Thank you Everyone

First I want to thank everyone in this class that supported me and took the time out of their day to respond to my discussion questions or help me on my journey in this class.

• One hope that you have when you think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds 
• My hope that I have when working with the diversity with my families is, everyone that I come in contact with will be as excited as I am to continue to learn to build a stronger community and a better way to communicate.
• One goal you would like to set for the early childhood field related to issues of diversity, equity, and social justice (any format and any length)
• One goal I would like to set for myself is in the next 8 years to fluent in a language other then my own. This is something that is not only important to me but I feel a true passion for this cause.
•  

The New Student

My family has arrived from Spain. I will be culturally responsive by having different phrases hung on my wall in order for the staff to become better acquainted with the child.

¡Hola! - Hello

¿Cómo está usted? (frm) ¿Cómo estás? - How are you?

No entiendo / No comprendo – I don't understand

¡Lo siento! - I'm sorry

Un idioma nunca es suficiente – One language is never enough

I would research and ask questions about the cultural background of the family and make my schedule adjustable for any questions.

I would ask the family to bring in objects from their home so our class could become more acclimated with the child.

We would read folk tales from Spain and look at globes, pictures.

We would also feast on authentic Spanish food

I would hope these adjustments would not only benefit the child that is entering my classroom but also my other students. These small tasks would add to cultural equity and hopefully the children would not only benefit from this in early childhood but carry the experiences throughout their lives.

Resources

(2013) Omnigolt retrieved from http://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/spanish.php

Racist Comments

• What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.

The assistant director at my center tells the story of when she was in the Kindergarten room years ago. There was a child that was giving her an especially hard time and she turned to correct them. The child stopped what they were doing and turned, looking at the assistant director saying, “ My father said I didn't have to listen to you because you were nothing but a monkey.” My assistant director said her heart had never felt so broken. She is a black woman.

• In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?
  Because of the racist comment from the father, the assistant director was not looked at as an authority figure. Much less a human being.
• What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

This brings up feelings of sadness for the assistant director that she had to experience this, sadness for the child that she will grow up with such a racist outlook on life and hatred for the father.

• What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

In order for equity in the kindergarten class we would have to bring more diversification in the classroom. Through literature, food, speakers, music ect it would have to be taught that an African American or anyone should never be called such horrific things. Last year in the Kindergarten class they went to the museum and learned what slavery was.